Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Crows make visual decisions about twice as fast as humans
Researchers at the University of Tübingen tested two carrion crows by asking them to judge whether moving dots on a screen were traveling left or right.
The birds indicated their choices by pecking a matching target, and made decisions in an average of 235 milliseconds, about twice as fast as humans or monkeys.
They remained more accurate than chance on difficult patterns and were nearly 100 percent accurate when the direction was clear.
Brain recordings showed that neurons in a decision-related region began distinguishing the directions 70 milliseconds after the dots appeared.
Although birds lack the layered cerebral cortex found in humans and other primates, the results suggest their brains use similar basic decision-making principles.
The speed may help birds make precise movements in flight and while foraging, but researchers still need to identify the mechanisms behind it.
Two carrion crows made visual decisions in an average of 235 milliseconds, about twice as fast as humans or monkeys.
Researchers at the University of Tübingen tested the birds by asking them to identify the direction of moving dots on a screen.
The crows’ brains began distinguishing the direction of movement 70 milliseconds after the dots appeared.
The study found that the birds’ decision-making signals followed principles seen in humans and other primates.
Researchers said the speed may help crows meet the demands of flight and foraging, but the mechanisms behind it remain unclear.
- Who
- Two carrion crows were tested by researchers Philipp Schmidbauer and Andreas Nieder at the University of Tübingen.
- What
- The study found that the crows made visual decisions about twice as fast as humans or monkeys.
- When
- The study was published on 22 October 2026.
- Where
- The research was conducted at the University of Tübingen. The crows viewed moving dots on a screen.
- Why
- The researchers investigated how quickly crows process visual information and make decisions. The speed may help birds maneuver in flight and forage.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Two carrion crows watched moving dots on a touchscreen and pecked a target on the side that matched the dots’ direction.
Researchers found that the crows’ brains began distinguishing the dots’ direction 70 milliseconds after they appeared.
The study, “Ultrarapid decision-making in an avian brain,” was published in Science.
- Birds tested
- Two carrion crows
- Decision time
- Average of 235 milliseconds
- Neural response
- Direction distinguished 70 milliseconds after the dots appeared
- Research institution
- University of Tübingen
- Journal publication
- Science, 22 October 2026
What people are saying
These findings show that neuronal dynamics in the avian brain are consistent with established models of decision-making in humans and non-human primates.
Birds rely on their vision to carry out precise, rapid maneuvers during flight and to guide their beaks towards objects when foraging.
Even when the patterns of motion were hard to recognize, the crows’ decisions were still better than random choices